Process for preventing the detrimental formation of lime and magnesia soaps



Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES PROCESS FOR PREVENTING THE DETBI- MENTAL FORMATION OF LIME AND MAG- NESIA SOAPS Heinrich Bertsch, Chemnitz, Germany assignor, by mesne assignments, to America Hyalsol Wilmingto Corporation, of Delaware 11, Del, a corporation No Drawing. Application December 5, 1930,

Serial No. 500,438.

10 Claims.

The disadvantages, which result from the formation of lime and magnesia soaps, particularly in the treatment of textiles, are known.

It has already been proposed to overcome these difiiculties by adding sulphonated oily products, such as Monopol soap to the treatment baths in question, the composition of said soap being described in the German Patent No. 113,433.

According to this invention it has been found that the formation of lime and magnesia soaps in liquids, which, besides lime or magnesium salts,

contain soap or Turkey red oils unresistant to lime, can be effectively prevented and any already precipitated fatty acid salts of calcium and magnesium be converted into a fine dispersion or brought into solution by adding the sulphonation products of higher aliphatic'alcohols to the liquids. The requisite quantities are substantially less than those, which must be emunstable towards lime and magnesia salts, the

method of preventing the detrimental effects of ployed for obtaining the same efiect with Monopol soap. The preferred procedure is to add the sulphonated alcohols or their alkali metal or am monium salts referred to collectively hereinafter as alkali salts to the hard water before adding the soap or the Turkey red oil. In this case, it correct dosage is effected, absolutely no separation of lime or magnesium soaps takes place, and the solutions remain absolutely clear. If, on the other hand, the sulphonated alcohols are added only after the soap or the Turkey red oil, the strongly turbid liquor first becomes lighter in color and, after adding larger quantities of the sulphonated alcohol, the liquid becomes almost completely clear. The amount of sulphonated alcohols required to be added is, however, in this case greater than when the soap or the Turkey red oil is added to the already corrected water.

The sulphonated derivatives of the alcohols corresponding to the higher fatty acids, such as sulphonated octadecyl alcohol and sulphonated lauryl alcohol, have proved to be particularly suitable. In place of the last mentioned compound there can with advantage be employed the mixture of sulphonated fatty alcohols, which is obtained by converting the cocoanut oil acids into the corresponding alcohol mixture and sulphonating this mixture- It has been found that the action of the sulphonated fatty alcohols is assisted if they are employed in admixture with secondary alkali In Germany December 13,

Second Edition, p. 416, lines 23 and 24; A Course in General Chemistry by McPherson and Henderson, Second Edition, p. 468, line 22.) A suitable mixture is, for example, 30 parts of secondary sodium phosphate per 70 parts of the sodium salt of the sulphonated lauryl alcohol.

In many cases it has proved to be advantageous also to add the said compounds to the water 21inch is employed in the subsequent rinsing opera on.

It should be understood that the terms sulfonation and sulfonated" have been used throughout the specification and claims in their broad sense and hence the invention includes the use of sulfates as well as true sulfonates.

I claim:

1. In a process of rinsing fibrous materials treated with solutions of fatty acid derivatives lime and magnesia soaps remaining as a result of such treatment characterized in that sulphonation products of the primary higher aliphatic alcohols are added to the rinsing liquids.

2. The process of eliminating the detrimental effects of lime and magnesia soaps in liquid treatment baths containing fatty acid derivatives unstable towards lime and magnesia salts comprising adding to the treatment liquid a sulfonated higher aliphatic alcohol.

3. The process as described in claim 2 wherein the sulfonated higher aliphatic alcohol is added to the treatment liquid prior to the addition of the fatty acid derivatives.

4. The process as described in claim 2 wherein the sulfonated higher aliphatic alcohol is added to the treatment liquid subsequent to the addition of the fatty acid derivatives.

5. The process of eliminating the detrimental effects of lime and magnesia soaps in liquid treatment baths containing fatty acid derivatives unstable towards lime and magnesia salts comprising adding to the treatment liquid a water soluble salt of a sulfonated higher aliphatic alcohol.

6. The process as described in claim 2 wherein the sulfonated alcohol is a monovalent normal primary higher aliphatic alcohol.

7. The process of eliminating the detrimental .efiects of lime and magnesia soaps in liquid treatment baths containing fatty acid derivatives unstable towards lime and magnesia salts comprising adding to the treatment liquid a water soluble salt of a sulfonated monovalent normal primary higher aliphatic alcohol.

8. The process of eliminating the detrimental eflects of lime and magnesia soaps in liquid treatment baths containing fatty acid derivatives unstable towards lime and magnesia salts comprising adding to the treatment liquid a sultonated higher aliphatic alcohol and a secondary alkali metal phosphate.

9. The process of eliminating the detrimental effects of lime and magnesia soaps intreatment baths containing hard water and fatty acid de- 10 rivatives unstable toward lime and magnesia salts comprising adding to the water a saltwater! mixture of alcohols converted Irma mixture oi the acids of cocoanut oil.

10. The process (I eliminating the detrimental \eflects oi mamma ian-unmanament baths containing fatty acid derivatives unstable towards lime and salts comprising adding to the treatment liquid the sultonated alcohol, primary lauryl sulfate. 

